You know it is possible to help reduce the amount of disposable diaper waste in landfills by using cloth diapers, but you are nervous about how to clean them. This is a common concern being raised by many young mothers who were raised with disposable diapers. Cleaning cloth diapers is not as hard, or as gross, as you might think.
Gone are the days of soaking, pre-washing, bleaching and air-drying cloth diapers. In the past, this process was quite time consuming and full of work. You can still purchase plain, pre-folded diapers and use them with the soft, washable diaper covers which are now available. Today’s generation of cloth diapers are 100% better than the old style. You can buy one of many all-in-one diaper systems. One such brand is Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers, which are diaper and cover in one piece, with an optional insert. Everything can be washed together, including the “wet bag” which is used to contain the soiled diapers until laundry day.
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for cleaning your soft and natural cloth diapers.
If baby has solid waste, you can simply drop the stool into the toilet and flush it away. No swirling and wringing of the diaper is necessary. Store the wet and/or dirty diapers in a diaper pail or your wet bags until laundry time. Leaving the diapers intact is ok since there is no longer a need for soaking them. Run the diapers first through a cool water rinse when you are ready to launder. Then launder the diapers in a hot water wash using detergent. A lot of people feel that soap is better, as it leaves the diapers softer, but soap can also leave an oily residue, which means the diaper will not be as absorbent for your little darling’s bottom. To help your budget, you can experiment with the amount of detergent you use for all your wash, not just the cloth diapers you need to clean. Many manufacturers recommend using more detergent than you actually need. This can leave irritating deposits on the cotton. One way to see if you can use less detergent is to use about half the recommended amount to see if it is effective for you, and adjust the amount from that point. Follow the hot wash with a cold rinse. Most machines these days automatically use a cold rinse, but check your settings to make sure.
Run the “clean” diapers through a second rinse cycle to help determine the proper amount of detergent. The water should be clear. During the rinse cycle, if you see suds, this indicates there was still some residue left in the diaper. Fabric softeners are not recommended for use with cloth diapers. They leave a coating on the fabric which reduces absorbency. You will need to change your baby more frequently and risk irritation or diaper rash if your diapers have reduced absorbancy.
Cloth diapers can be air dried or dried in the dryer. Of course, everyone has a preference, and I do like the softness the dryer provides, but the sun provides natural disinfecting and bleaching. Check the washing instructions on your particular brand. Fuzzi Bunz diapers tells its customers to use a low dryer setting, and some manufacturers recommend the hot dryer setting.
You will find it is possible to keep disposables out of the landfills and help keep the environment clean by using soft natural diapers. And don’t forget you can and put the baby in your favorite Ellaroo baby carrier and go enjoy your world naturally as well!